And Things We're All Too Young to Know
by liverpuddle
Summary: Rachel is having complications with her pregnancy, Quinn and Rachel's extended family are worried and dealing with it. Quinn remembers their collective pasts, as she ponders their future. And waits in the present.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing really, just borrowing the __characters__ for a little joyride, or something._

_**Pairing: **__Quinn/Rachel, mention Brittany/Santana, Puck/other  
__**Spoilers: **__Anything up to that has already aired. Future AU-ish fic. _

_Rachel is having complications with her pregnancy, and Quinn and her extended family are worried and dealing with it in this part, the Prologue. This is what was rattling around in my head before my other fic I Am Game. But after the finale aired, I had to make some adjustments, and so then I left it alone for a bit. And really in my head, this is/was always a companion piece originally to __I Am Game__, and it was going to be a prologue..to a flashback? So…now I think I'm doing it simultaneously. In my head the two are related. I was just having too much fun with the other one to insert this in to it, as it is a little more weighty? I took the title from a Peter Gabriel song, The Book of Love.  
_

_Please let me know what you think. I really do appreciate any reviews or comments or suggestions. Thanks!_

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"When will she wake up Quinn?" The sandy haired nine-year-old hazel eyes showed she was tired and worried. Quinn didn't blame her. She was a very self-aware little thing, but it was clear to her Quinn's sharp eyes that her edges were frayed. Not as much as hers were at this point though.

"Sweetie, she needs to rest right now. The doctors will tell us when she wakes up."

"Why can't we see her now? Won't she want us to be there when she wakes up?"

"Sweetie, she will be awake soon, I promise. The doctors just needed to make sure she was resting properly."

She said it with a sense of conviction that she was struggling to feel. She hoped it wasn't a lie.

Even though the doctors had reassured her as best they could, she was just as mired in uncertainty as her daughter. Her daughter. It still made her feel odd to call her that. She *was* her daughter, but Quinn wasn't really her mother. Even though Shelby had been wonderful in including Quinn in milestones in Beth's life. Quinn hadn't been prepared to see too much of it. At least not at first.

She'd done so much research lately; she thought she, _they_, were so ready, so prepared. Nothing but hubris it turns out. It seemed that Mother Nature and her cohorts would have their way. Ah, test laid plans of mice and men and all that bullshit.

And now, now she just felt angry, and scared. Quinn had long ago made a separate peace with her faith, or her occasional complete lapse or lack thereof. But right now? Right now she was by talking to God, Yahwe, Buddha, Jesus, Mary and Joseph on a raft, or whoever was listening. Praying for all she was worth.

She put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. She was at a loss to comfort her. Which was nothing new. They'd only recently settled into a sort of 'cool aunt' relationship that Shelby had agreed to, even encouraged.

"She just needs to rest, hon. I know it's hard to wait, but we need to let the doctors do their job. Your mother will be right back,."

The girl looked tired, but stubborn.

"I know that. I'm not worried about her right now. I wanna know what's happening with my sister."

The clock on the pale green wall showed it was nearly 2:40 in the morning. She was also extremely anxious to get back to the Rachel's room. But she couldn't let her worry become too overwhelming with Beth here. She wondered if Puck had gotten her message yet.

"Here, I made another set up for the boxes game. You go first."

But the girl wouldn't be pulled into another distraction. She was stubborn that way.

"But I don't wanna play right now. I wanna …"

Abruptly, the door to the waiting room opened. Quinn snapped her head up, hopeful. But instead of any of the blue scrub-clad doctors coming to give her an update, it turned out to be Rachel's fathers, looking as strained as she felt. Beth immediately leapt up and into their waiting arms, hugging for all she was worth. Quinn followed her daughter's instincts, and leaned into the comforting embrace along with her.

"Hiram, Leroy, I'm so glad you're here now. Thank you for coming so quickly. Have your heard from Puck?"

Leroy, Rachel's African-American dad looked pointedly and meaningfully at Rachel's other dad Hiram, and then down at their Beth before addressing her Quinn.

"Yes Quinn, he is on his way as soon as he has a quick shower. I insisted on the shower part. He can't do anything, and at least he'll be more clear-headed and refreshed and more able to help if need be. So. How is she doing, is she.. resting? What did Dr. Westner say?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes, she is resting now, just like the doctors want. I haven't seen Dr. Westner again yet."

She mouthed a silent thank you to Leroy and then to Hiram who had readily taken the hint. He bent down to pick up Beth, talking quietly to her as he carried her out of earshot, effectively distracting her so that Leroy, a doctor himself, could get some more information from Quinn without alarming the little girl.

Quinn hushed her tones somewhat.

"Her levels were elevated much more than they liked. They are checking now. God Leroy. I thought we'd been so careful. No stress. Not even attending rehearsals. She's only just barely at 36 weeks now. Are they going to induce? They are, aren't they?"

"Quinn, sweetheart. The doctors will decide that soon. It was always a possibility once we got the diagnosis. But 36 weeks is a good amount of time in the womb. Especially for twins. You know that."

Quinn's lip quivered and she looked down and to the side, fighting for control. She could barely whisper her throat was so tight with worry and unshed tears.

"I know. I know that… But… It's not the babies I'm worried about now. I know they have to induce. I'm just so scared…for her…for me…Leroy."

He gathered her into his long arms for an even longer hug. "I know sweetheart. I know."

Hiram cleared his throat, and came over with Beth. Leroy bent down to hug the little girl, and Hiram came to hug Quinn, his eyes a little too bright and watery. Beth was treated like a long lost relative in the Berry household. She was technically Rachel's half-sister, but…as convoluted as things had become with Quinn and Rachel, no one really knew what to call her, so they just treated her like a grand-daughter. And Shelby never had any problem with that. She'd always been so grateful and pleased at how the Berry's had handled Rachel's upbringing and the open adoption, she was happy and appreciative and generally overwhelmed in a good way with any influence or love that came her, or Beth's way from the extended Berry household.

"I heard from Shelby and I know you know she is on the way now. We talked, and I'm going to run take Beth home, just for a little bit. We'll be back with a change of clothes and supplies, and a cleaned up Beth. What can I bring for you, Quinn? Food, clothes? Anything?"

"I'm fine Hiram; I have a bag of things in the car I keep at the office. And, well, I'm not very hungry right now. But thank you."

Hiram shook his head, back in control of his emotions, and despite inherent seriousness of the situation, he chuckled.

"Right then. Peanut butter and mayonnaise sammich for Beth, and a bacon and bacon sammich for you."

Quinn let a small smile grace her otherwise worried features, and sighed.

"Well, you know by now that I never turn down bacon. Thank you Hiram. For everything."

"Quinn, anything we can do for you. You know that. Now. We'll have her back quickly as we can."

He looked over Quinn's shoulder and directed further comment to his partner.

"Leroy, can't you grab a staffer or two, have them bring her a blanket and pillow. She needs to get rest if she can don't you think?"

"Of course. I can do better than that. I'll make sure they get the ones they warm up for patients post-op. And I'll make damn sure they get her in to see her as soon as it's possible. Be right back."

Quinn took a deep breath and checked the clock again. It was 3:15 now. Puck would probably be here in an hour. Even speeding, it was at least a half hour drive from Puck's house. And he would have had to back track from his bar on top of that.

Well, at least it would have been past last call when all this started anyway, so he didn't have to worry about losing business at Nick Bottom's Brewpub on top of everything else. Puck had become part of their circle after high school. He'd stayed in Lima of course, but they'd kept touch while she and Rachel were in school. He'd been there for both of them. Through the occasional dramatic fights, through the on again, off again tumultuous fits and starts of Rachel and Quinn's early first years. To his credit (somewhat), he'd only ever tried to get in to either of their pants once or twice when they were having what Hiram and Leroy had (apparently) referred to as 'The Troubles.' Puck had finally given up, and Quinn suspected Santana and Brittany might have had a hand in that, but she wasn't sure, and neither of them was talking.

Whatever had happened, he'd grown up. Somewhat anyway. And now he was no different when it came to this impending birth. He had proven he was much more than a 'donor' with Quinn. He was Beth's biological dad. And after some time, he and Shelby had worked out time for him to visit some. Beth was going to have the quite extensive and odd vocabulary for an Ohio kid. She knew what the word biological meant long before her contemporaries knew, that was for sure. Not to mention having Hiram, Leroy and Rachel as influences in her life.

And, now, Puck was also much more than a 'donor' for this birth as well. He'd of course let the old Puckasaurus erupt initially, declaring he was more than happy to donate his little 'swimmers', just name the time and place, and should he bring wine, or would Quinn and Rachel? And then after the rolled eyes, and the 'are you out of your minds' from Rachel **and **Quinn, he'd sworn he was just kidding. And they graciously pretended to believe him...

In the end, it hadn't gone like Puck had hoped of course, but there at least there _was_ beer and wine involved after all, as they took him out for a very nice dinner at the microwbrew restaurant he now actually partially owned, _after_ he was done making his deposit at the fertility clinic of course. Alone, barring any pictorial aids the clinic might have provided. And now, in a way, Puck had his own 'baby' to take care of in the pub he ran. Quinn chuckled remembering that night, and how excited Rachel had been about it all, and how funny Puck had been, and the names he'd started working on immediately afterwards. However, neither Guinness, Smithwicks, or even Amber were going to work for baby names. Without hesitation, both Quinn and Rachel assured him he would be as much a part of the baby's life as he wanted to be.

Quinn swallowed at that thought, she tried to ignore the tightening in her chest that was getting worse, because she felt like she was tempting fate by making assumptions about **any**thing in the future right now. She tamped her anxiety back down for the time being.

She even felt a bubble of perhaps inappropriate mirth rise to the surface. Maybe soon, since Rachel was Jewish, Puck's long suffering mother would finally have her technically Jewish grandchildren. Even if it was not quite how she would have pictured it…

That reminded her that she needed to remember to ask Puck if he'd notified his mom of the situation. No need to call her now yet. Nothing she could do anyway. Plus, she was hundreds of miles away at Puck's sister's graduation.

"Quinn, hon, here you go."

Leroy's hand on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts. She took the pillow from him wordlessly.

"Either Deidre or Vince will be along very shortly with your warmed up blankets. I wouldn't be surprised if they tripped over themselves trying to get them to you. Now, I am insisting, nay, ordering you to sit down, and try to get a little sleep in now. I don't need to be worried about both of you. Also, so you know, the hospital will page me right after they talk to you, so don't worry about trying to get word to me if she wakes up. I'm just one floor away. I'll know before you have time to dig out that computer you call a phone."

Then Beth and Leroy came to give a hug. Beth looked like she could fall asleep on her feet now. She sighed.

"Okay guys, I'll see you all in a little bit. Give me a hug kiddo. I'll tell Rachel you love her." If she wakes up, she flinched as she thought.

Hugs were exchanged. She kissed Beth on the forehead. Then she held her fist out to her. Beth made her little hand into a fist also, and touched her tiny knuckles to her mother's solemnly, and whispered earnestly.

"I love you Quinn. Tell Rachel I love her too. I'm saving part of my sammich for her when she wakes up."

"Okay Boogerhead. I love you too. Don't forget to bring a good book with you when you come back, okay? And don't make me check with whether you brushed your teeth, or I'll tell your mom."

She nodded earnestly.

"Okay I promise Quinn."

She looked at Hiram and Leroy again.

"Thank you both. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Hiram smiled at her. It was a very fond and loving smile. And it made feel a little better about everything somehow.

"Oh, Quinn hon, you've been here before. Maybe not so serious. But you know how to deal with Rachel and adversity. Come to think of, I'll see about maybe brewing some quick honey tea to bring back. I somehow think you're going to need it."

He put his hands on Beth's shoulders, and she looked up at him with questions in her eyes. He turned her used her shoulders to pivot her around to face the exit, stifling any questions for now.

"March kiddo. We need to get some food in you, don't we?"

The two men waved, Leroy put his hand on Hiram's shoulder and squeezed it before he moved to the elevators, giving his partner a loving reassuring look. Hiram's worried face took on a less strained look at that. He turned and smiled at Quinn kindly. They both were doing their level best to hide their natural worry, from both Quinn and Beth. And probably each other. But she appreciated it. And it made her feel marginally better that Leroy, the doctor in the family, did looked less worried than his husband.

She looked around for a 'good' section of seats to try to stretch out on. She didn't think she'd sleep, but she did want to get her feet up for awhile.

Finally, she sat down, running her hands over her face, then her temples, and her cheekbones, trying to ease the ache of long held tension. She experimented with the pillow, and where to put it to avoid getting a crick in her neck. As if on cue, a large matronly woman she assumed was the Deidre that Leroy had mentioned, showed up with the blessedly pre-warmed blanket. She was just covering her feet when a friendly looking man who introduced himself as Vince showed up with two more of the heavenly blankets. Now she could tuck one around her shoulders and midsection, and use the spare to put behind her. She could feel the warmth penetrating her aching shoulder blades already.

Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. It seemed wrong to relax right now. But she was so deeply bone-tired she couldn't help herself. She tried to distract herself with thoughts of Beth. She wondered what books she would bring back with her. She was upset with herself for not having something on hand for her voracious little reader. She was careful not to intrude on 'mom' territory too much, but she and Rachel tended to go overkill in other departments if they could. Beth's library was magnificent. And her music collection? Crazy. Quinn added in the soccer ball, or the cheerleading skirt, or the Frisbee…whatever stage Beth was going through. She tried to be supportive.

And besides, hospitals and reading aloud was practically a Fabray-Berry tradition at this point.

A smile ghosted across her lips, almost delirious in her exhaustion, she drifted off into her memories as she nodded off to sleep.


	2. I Love it When You Read To Me

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing really, just borrowing the __characters__ for a little joyride, or something._

_**Pairing: **__Quinn/Rachel, mention Brittany/Santana, Puck/other  
__**Spoilers: **__Anything up to that has already aired. Future AU-ish fic. _

_Rachel is having complications with her pregnancy, and Quinn and her extended family are worried and dealing with it. This chapter and those after will start to go back and forth in time and place a bit. I'm hoping that isn't too jarring. I thought of making the flashbacks in italics, but I am not a fan of reading all italics, so I haven't done that. So…again, I'll hope it flows well enough. Please let me know what you think. I really do appreciate any reviews or comments or suggestions. Thanks!_

_**

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August, 2010**_

It was already hot for 7 a.m. mid-August. It had been a wet spring, and now it had morphed into an unusually hot summer. Quinn's hair was damp at the temples. She was starting to get back into fighting form after Beth's birth, so it wasn't like she was sucking wind. But this early heat was ridiculous. Sweat beaded on her forehead, but she trudged forward, trying to keep up with the munchkin trotting cheerfully along in front of her. At least she wasn't wearing a silly short skirt for this little expedition. The ripstop shorts she had on made a fair amount of noise, but they were much more practical than a skirt. She didn't look half bad in them. Though the hat she was wearing was a little too "Australia!" for most people to pull off.

"You know, Berry, I'm finding it more and more apropos that you feel compelled to find and document a Common Loon. I'm just sayin'."

The brunette didn't dignify the comment by turning around. "If we should fail in this endeavor then fine, I'll acquiesce and we can start our hunt for the Blue Heron, or the Night Heron if you'd prefer. But…come on, please, this could be really interesting. My notes say that they are more common north of here, but there have been sightings in the past decade."

"Decade? Santana is right. You ARE a loon. And she is starting to think I am one too. You're kidding right? I vote right now for Night Heron."

"Come on, we're almost there anyway. And Brittany doesn't think you're a loon."

The blond sighed, and adjusted her backpack. "Yeah, damn me with faint praise while you're at it."

The continued on, taking in the sounds of the patchy wildlife around them, with Quinn grumbling occasionally.

"You know, I don't understand how just two months ago, I wanted to go to the Country Club lake and sneak in. But *that* was illegal. But now, tromping around on somebody, whoever they are, land is okay with you."

"This is a scientific pursuit. We could be documenting a rarity. Sacrifices have to be made sometimes."

"Well you remember that when Farmer Brown or whoever comes and points his shotgun at us."

"Duly noted. I have my mace." Quinn rolled her eyes and pushed forward. I hope you have something besides Mace in that bag.

"I have cookies and snacks and water of course. It's extremely important to stay hydrated. If you start to feel…"

"Rachel, I got it. I've been jumping around doing rigorous activities during my summers at cheer leading camp most of my life. I think I can stay hydrated."

Silence.

"But thank you, I will keep that in mind."

"See that you do Quinn. I'm just trying to look out for you. Your body went through a lot lately"

"I know!" Quinn almost shouted. Rachel stopped and whipped around, concern in her eyes. She continued in a whisper. "I know my body has been through. Rachel. Thank you. But I don't need to be reminded."

Rachel's pressed her lips together, rather than opened them for once. And Quinn was grateful, if surprised. The smaller girl turned and continued her walk. "We're almost there."

Quinn sighed and continued, feeling a little guilty. She'd been a little nervous about this bird-watching expedition. Ever since they'd played hooky that afternoon in the Spring, when Rachel had helped her clean up Karofsky's slushie facial, they'd had an on again, off again 'friend like' relationship. They didn't 'hang out' very much. But among the Gleeks, they no longer acted like enemies. Rachel was included more often in side Glee activities. And really, the non-original Gleeks, the popular (or once popular like herself) started to see the others more. They found they all spent more time together as the year wound down, and even after Regionals had come and gone.

And then, Beth had come and gone. Her throat tightened as it often did when she thought of her daughter. And Shelby. It was an incredibly weird, tension filled scenario. Her daughter. Being raised by Rachel's birth mother. It really was just too bizarre to contemplate. And yet, it was a reality. She didn't know how Rachel dealt with it. She had been extremely, and uncharacteristically silent on the subject. Not that Quinn had brought it up very often. It was a split second decision she'd made. And she felt it was the right one. But she still wasn't sure of the consequences of it all. For her, her daughter, for Puck. Or even for Rachel.

She almost ran into the other girl, so deep in her own thoughts she'd been.

"Here we are" she whispered.

"Oh, this is nice" Quinn whispered back, as she took off her backpack. They left a stand of trees near the top of a rise, and now could see the lake. It was still hot and sticky, but just seeing the water made her feel marginally cooler.

"Let's sit, you grabbed blanket, right?"

"Of course I did. The blanket, binoculars, and my appetite, all present and accounted for."

She opened her backpack, and pulled the large colorful Mexican inspired wool blanket. She'd half expected it to be argyle, when Rachel had given it to her to pack.

"This is pretty cool by the way."

"It's my dads."

"Ah. That would explain it."

Rachel turned her head, hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out. "Smart ass."

"I'd rather be a smart ass than a dumb ass."

Rachel groaned and almost stamped her foot.

"I'm thinking just plain old 'ass' at the moment, actually."

It was out of her mouth before she had a chance to stop it.

"Eh, you love me."

Quinn held still, feeling odd that she had just said that, not knowing what Rachel would make of it. When she was alone with Rachel, she found that there was a magnified level of familiarity that she couldn't explain. It wasn't like it was an odd thing to say to a friend. It was teasing. It was just that she and Rachel had such a convoluted relationship. She just didn't know how the few times she'd gotten together with Rachel, for dinner at her dad's the two times, and the times she dropped Rachel off after Glee, had qualified somehow for the kind of intimate banter they fell into so naturally. It was weird. But a good kind of weird.

Rachel regarded her for a half second while Quinn was processing this. She raised an eyebrow at the blonde, and managed to both defuse and amplify the comment all at once.

"Hm. But you know how easy I am, so don't be too flattered." That was all Rachel said. But Quinn saw the twinkle in her eye, and it made her grin inwardly. She had to admit, she loved the mischievous side of Rachel when it came out to play. Her stomach jumped a little. And it was not an unpleasant feeling.

"This is true. I _have_ heard that about you…" Quinn chuckled, relieved, but also a little light in the head. She continued unpacking. She went to the smaller compartment to grab her binoculars. The small stationary box held closed tight by gold colored ribbons confronted her. Her breath caught in her throat. She contemplated the small box, and the entirely theoretical contents therein. She felt sure there was some metaphor involving Schrodinger's Cat involved here, but she couldn't quite grasp it. She still hadn't had the courage to open them. Any of them. She wasn't sure what she expected to do with them. She wasn't sure exactly what she was expected to do with them.

Pushing it from her mind for the moment, she continued getting out the binoculars. Rachel was busy laying out a very nice little breakfast for them. She glanced over.

"Aw, you brought me bacon? I didn't think you would even cook bacon?"

"I didn't, Daddy did…, but you're welcome. I have read recipes that involve melon and bacon, so here is some cantaloupe. Knock yourself out. I'll stick with my toast and fruit and juice."

Quinn paused to look at the figure, laying out reusable plastic plates, and the little plastic juice glasses and smiled.

Rachel, always very aware when there was an audience, picked up on it now, and looked up at her, smiling. "What?"

"Nothing, Rach. Just…this is very nice, and well thought out. Melon and bacon sounds really good actually. This was…nice. A bit crazy of course, but nice. Mercedes is great. But it is just…nice… to get out." That was a lot of 'nices' she realized. Something about being around Rachel had an odd effect on her. She used to assume it was because she was still mentally walking on eggshells around her. They had a very weird bond now, because of, well Shelby.

Even though Rachel had forgiven her for the years of torture, she knew the other girl was still wary of her going all Jekyll and Hyde on her. And it wasn't unfounded. She'd had some slip ups, force of habit sort of things. Nothing like slushies. But it was true that the old insult Manhands had slipped out once. But just the once. The wounded look she got had haunted her for days. She hadn't gotten around to apologizing, via text till later that night. She'd been nervous about sending it. And it was a simple note.

_Rach. Sorry? Bad habit. Forgive?_

She'd lain awake, reading her Thomas Hardy assignment. Or pretending to. She'd been waiting on pins and needles, curiously hopeful she'd get a reply. When she finally heard the small telltale ding, some 30 minutes later, her heart rate had sped up. She didn't know what to expect.

_:-) Thanks._

Simple, and surprisingly short. She was happy, but, a little disappointed with the uncharacteristic brevity. When on earth had she ever been disappointed with brevity from Rachel Berry. It was weird.

Quinn shook her head, like a fly was bothering her, and pretended to swat at one, banishing the memory. She looked again at Rachel who was still smiling.

"This is fun. Thank you for coming."

Quinn just smiled.

"Okay, so melon and bacon first, please? I need sustenance. Then we can see about maybe finding us one of these here Common Loons. Where are they common anyway? Because clearly it isn't here..."

_**

* * *

2019**_

"Quinn, Quinn sweetheart, wake up." A hand on her shoulder roused her from her sleep. She was so warm and toasty.

"Mmmm, not yet Rach. Mnnngph."

"Quinn, it's Shelby. Rachel is not here. She's still…" Shelby let the sentence hang. The doctor hadn't come out yet. She looked at the blond, who looked to be falling back into her doze. The poor thing. Let her sleep, she thought to herself. If there was something going on, she could check with desk. She pulled the warm blanket closer around Quinn, and tucked it under, as the sleeping woman murmured again. She waited til her breathing evened out before going back down the hall to check for any updates.

Quinn slipped back into her dream with ease, a smile pulling at the corner of her lip.

_**

* * *

August 2010**_

"I don't wanna say I told you so..but…I told you we should have tried for the Night Heron…"

I know. I'm sorry. I just thought _maybe_ something special would happen, that maybe we could add it to the registered sightings. I had my notebook and ready to go."

She looked so forlorn. No one was more expressive in the forlorn department than Rachel Berry. You couldn't help but want to cheer her up.

"I know swee...kiddo. But, well, it was a valiant effort. And I saw some tufted-tit-mouses. Er. Tufted-Tit-Mice. Whatever. I love those little guys!"

"Really?"

"Really. Plus, I like saying their name. Tufted-Tit-Mouse." She grinned and winked at the brunette.

Rachel shook her head and giggled.

"I said it once before. You are a great deal odder than I was aware of Quinn Fabray. And probably more than anyone else is aware I'm guessing. I guess the advantage to being situated where I am socially…is that you are more free to let your freak flag fly? But I'm glad you got to see your Tufted-Tit…Meese."

Quinn threw a piece of spear grass at the Rachel, where it stuck in her hair, unbeknownst to her.

"Very mature Fabray."

Quinn shrugged playfully. Something about this girl always brought out her playful side. It used to be a mean spirited 'playful' side that came out. Now it was mellowed and more along the lines of camaraderie. At least Quinn thought so. She hoped Rachel saw it the same way.

They fell quiet for awhile. Rachel sipped her water, and occasionally pulled out her binoculars to observe the birds on the small marshy lake. Quinn had found her mind wandering to the box in her backpack. She didn't know what to do. But she took a deep breath, and looked at Rachel.

She must have been staring longer than she thought.

"Quinn…Earth to Quinn. What's wrong? Have you been drinking enough water, hydrating properly? You look a little ill."

Quinn took another deep breath, her eyes fluttering, she rubbed them.

"What? Something is bothering you, I can tell. Is it…Puck, is he crowding you?"

Rachel watched her closely. "Anything wrong with Mercedes?"

Rachel sighed, and tried the obvious, hoping it wasn't the case. "Is it…Beth?"

Quinn's shoulders slumped. She looked, head tilted, at the other girl. She couldn't read her face. There was concern, but something else she couldn't decipher. She took a deep breath. "Can I show you something?"

Rachel eyed her sharply, her curiosity evident. And Quinn thought she had the other look pinned. Wariness. "Sure…anything."

Quinn crawled across the blanket to the backpack, and retrieved the small burgundy box. She sat back down with her legs crossed, facing her companion. She ran her fingers over the ribbons that were crossed over it, making an 'x'. She put the box down in the foot space between them.

Rachel looked at it, and then up at her "What is that?"

Quinn looked up and swallowed. "I don't know entirely. I haven't opened it."

"I see."

"Did this come from…"

"Shelby. Yes."

"Why haven't you opened it." Rachel was staring at her, she could feel it. Quinn felt her heart pounding. It was important how she answered this, she knew. It was a delicate moment, hanging here. She stared at her hands, rubbing them together, as she whispered simply.

"I'm scared."

She didn't risk looking up. She _was_ scared. She didn't know what of exactly. She felt so much guilt when she looked at that box.

Silence. Then she heard a big intake of breath from the other girl. And movement. And then Rachel's hand on her chin, gently but firmly forcing her to raise her eyes, so that they met the dark brown ones in facing her now.

"Why did you bring it out? Here. In front of me?"

Quinn looked in those eyes, trying to figure out what kind of answer they wanted, or thought they deserved. She looked away and back again. She clamped her jaw down, and it made an audible sound. A habit when felt she was cornered.

She took a deep breath, not sure if she was defiant, or supplicant.

"I didn't do it to hurt you, if that is what you want to know. I…don't know exactly. But it feels like we're bound together somehow. I'm scared to look in it. And I know…I mean, thought…I don't know."

"What, Quinn. _What _did you think, or think you know. About me? About this?"

Quinn took a shaky breath, and plowed forward. Rachel had let go of her chin now, but was still watching her intently.

"Rachel, I wasn't trying to push your buttons or rub anything in, or whatever." She paused and looked up briefly. The other still looked slightly impassive, but less wary now, so she continued, and it all came tumbling out.

"I knew you…I knew you would be brave enough to open it. For me. Because I was scared. And I didn't know if it would hurt or help. Truthfully, I was afraid it might hurt you. I mean, I don't know what's in there. But it looks baby related to me. Photos? A letter about her progress I don't know. And I know curiosity killed the cat and all that. But, I want to know even if I'm afraid to look. I thought…maybe, you might want to know. How…your mother would have wanted to be with you…" she trailed off before finishing. "I guess I thought you might understand, in some twisted way."

"What about Noah?"

"I don't know. These were addressed to me. Well, to my house. My mom gave them to me. She's been…pretty good about not bugging me about it, or them."

Quinn went back to studying her hands, waiting out a response from Rachel. It was not long in coming, but it felt like forever. She studied the design in the blanket. Oranges and blues, and geometric shapes. She let her vision blur, and closed her eyes. Then she heard movement. She opened her eyes and raised her head. Rachel had clambered to her knees, and was now right in front of her on them. She wasn't much taller than Quinn. She held her arms out, an invitation. There was a sad smile on her usually happy face. Quinn had found she loved Rachel's huge smiles, as long as they were honest and not for show. It made her throat ache to see the sad smile, but she appreciated it nonetheless, as it was honest too. She pushed herself to her knees and leaned into Rachel's hug. Tall as she was, after a minute, she was able to rest her chin on top of Rachel's crown of hair. It always smelled so good, today it smelled like her shampoo, and the outdoors.

"You're smelling my hair again, aren't you? I'm not telling you what I use."

Quinn snorted, happy that Rachel had eased the tension and lightened the mood.

"I'll get it out of you someday, lady. Remember? Word on the street is you're easy…"

Rachel looked up at her, and rewarded Quinn with a bigger smile. Not her mega-watt smile, but it was less sad, and Quinn's insides twitched a bit, happy. Quinn's mouth quirked in a half smile too.

"Alright Quinn. So. How about we open this, and see what kind of demons, if any, we are talking about. I also want to strongly recommend, if not outright insist, that you share with Noah. If he hasn't received anything of his own. And as for me, I still have my therapist on speed dial. I hope I don't have to have her move into the spare room for real now."

Quinn nodded at Rachel, tacitly agreeing to show Puck whatever was in there, if it was worth sharing. She then looked down at the be-ribboned box, forgotten for a moment, amazingly. She took a deep breath.

"Okay."

"Okay," Rachel echoed, and smiled encouragingly. She reached down for the box, and delicately, unwrapped the the ribbons, folding them and putting them aside almost reverently.

She opened the box, and put her hand to her mouth. "There are pictures Quinn. Pictures of Beth. She is beautiful…well, she is, well, kinda scrunched up I guess, but…she is lovely, Quinn…"

Quinn felt all too familiar burning in her eyes, as she peered from a safe distance. She was too shy to ask to see the photos yet. She watched Rachel look at one, and shift it like a card to the back of what appeared to be a dozen or so photos.

Rachel finished with the photos, and set them down; not wanting to assume Quinn was ready to look at them. She picked the box up once again, and pulled out some folded pieces of neat, manila colored paper from the bottom. "I think there are some letters or cards here."

Quinn looked at Rachel's expectant face. Her voice was a little hoarse. "Will you…will you read them?"

Rachel looked at Quinn, and the barrier she had been putting up since this topic was broached, now completely collapsed. This was all so, so weird. But, it somehow felt as right, or as right it could be doing this, with Quinn. Nobody, not Puck, not her dads, no one else had quite the same, admittedly slightly twisted, bond over this set of events.

She smiled tentatively, but warmly, at the suddenly fragile looking girl in front of her, and Rachel's heart just hurt in her chest for her. It hurt for herself too, but it was a subtle hurt she'd lived with since she was old enough to ask her why most other kids had a mom and a dad, she had two dads. It was too often near the surface she knew, but it wasn't as raw as Quinn's very present pain, very raw pain. She wanted to say all that, but for once, she was without the necessary vocabulary. So she just nodded and smiled.

Quinn sniffed. She sat back and pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her chin on them, and waited for Rachel to begin.

_Dear Quinn,_

_I don't know what to say, so I'm just going to write and hope it comes to me._

_This is Beth Abigail Corcoran._

Quinn gasped. Rachel looked up to see if Quinn was okay. She didn't look upset, just shocked, so she kept reading, curious.

_I'm afraid I did some digging around, and asked some questions. I was able to find out your middle name is Abigail"_

Rachel looked over at Quinn, and smiled. Because the other girl had a small smile on her lips. She felt like she should feel conflicted about this somehow, but she for some reason, she didn't. She was pleased for Quinn.

"_This is her first day home, and here she is"…_

The sun was past its crest Quinn could tell, even through the leaves of the trees they were under. Somewhere after the start of the second of some half a dozen letters in the box, Rachel had reached to pass the packet of photos for Quinn to look at while she continued to read aloud. Quinn had already lain down, crossing her ankles, and looking up at the leaves. She took them gingerly, and started to slowly thumb through them as she listened to the singer's soothing voice. Quinn didn't know the diva even had a soothing speaking voice to pull out. But she definitely did.

When Rachel went to open the box for that third letter, she looked at Quinn, and scooted over, close behind her, poking her lightly on the head. She motioned at her lap. "Come here."

Quinn turned her head and looked. She smiled and repositioned herself, laying her head on Rachel's lap.

_July 4__th__. _

_Beth was fussy today, but here she is in her holiday onesy…._

The last letter was finished, and Rachel's subtle reading had lulled Quinn into a drowsy trance. All the tension and the buildup to opening up Pandora's Box had melted away. They were both emotionally drained, though Rachel as the de facto narrator hadn't actually absorbed everything she'd read. She'd almost been playing a part in a play. Trying to be as soothing, and as neutral in her reading as possible. Rachel folded the last letter neatly, and put it back in the box, all without disturbing the golden-haired girl, who still rested her head on her lap. She looked down at her, checking on her audience in a way. Of its own accord, she saw her hand reach out to touch a stray lock of blond hair, blowing around her temple in the breeze. Her hand moved, and she watched herself tuck it into place. Hazel eyes snapped open, looking up at her. Her hand froze.

The eyes crinkled, and the lips moved. Upside down, her brain couldn't quite interpret what she was seeing. Was that a smile, was that a frown? What had she been thinking?. Odd thoughts were bouncing around her thoughts just now. Like…everything looked odd upside down when you thought about it. But then a hand moved, not her own she was at least able to discern in this state of grace she'd dropped into somehow. Quinn's hand, for it must be hers, lightly grasped the hand, _her_ hand, still frozen in place. Then warmth enclosed her hand. In the altered state, she watched and felt the hand being rotated. And then she felt warm breath on her the inside of her wrist, where her pulse was pounding. And then warm lips. She looked down at the face again. Those hazel eyes were smiling. The 'other' hand then returned her hand to its original position. Again, her hand moved through the soft hair, soothing.

Quinn sighed. She didn't know what had come over her when she'd felt Rachel's hand in her hair. She had moved on instinct alone. She's looked up, seeing worry there. Worry she wanted to sooth. Reaching up and taking that hand seemed natural. Placing the barest of kisses seemed right, and no big deal. Just…right somehow right. In that moment. When she'd returned Rachel's hand to her forehead, she sighed with contentment when petite hand had not missed a beat, but had begun to run her fingers gently through her hair. She could fall asleep like this.

She closed her eyes blissfully and smiled. All her troubles, forgotten.

"Rachel Berry, I don't know if anyone has ever told you this? But you have a wonderful voice…for reading. You can read me anything."

Quinn heard an intake of breath, wondering whether the brunette could keep silent. She could almost feel the brunette smiling.

_**

* * *

2019**_

Shelby walked back down the hall, some hot lemon tea in her hand. She stopped at Quinn's side again, watching her sleep. She could see her little Beth's features in the contented look on her face. She sat down quietly next to the sleeping girl. Woman she reminded herself. No longer a scared sixteen year old. No, now she was a scared 26 year old woman. And Shelby was a scared mother. They were all scared. She checked the clock on the wall. It was almost 3:40 a.m. now. She sighed. Beth and Hiram should be back soon. She'd left a message at the desk to let Leroy Berry know she was here now.

Now she just had to wait. A small sigh escaped the girl next to her, and when she shifted position, she pulled the blankets about her again, and Shelby was glad she looked happy in her sleep at least.


	3. Interlude

_**Disclaimer: **__I own nothing really, just borrowing the __characters__ for a little joyride, or something._

_**Pairing: **__Quinn/Rachel, mention Brittany/Santana, Puck/other  
__**Spoilers: **__Anything up to that has already aired. Future AU-ish fic. _

_**A/N**__ Rachel is having complications with her pregnancy, and Quinn and her extended family are worried and dealing with it._

_**A/N**__ This is more of an interlude chapter, so it is a little short, sorry! I'll get back to the flashbacks next chapter. I just thought I'd better give a better idea of what is going on with the pregnancy. Also, yeah, I'm not a doctor…nor do I even play one on TV. So... If you are, and I'm way off about something, sorry! Please let me know what you think. I really do greatly appreciate any reviews or comments or suggestions. Thanks!_

**

* * *

2019**

A gentle hand moved in her hand now. "Sweetie the doctor is here. Looks like there is an update."

Quinn opened her eyes, disoriented, the pleasant far away day fading from her mind, as she took in Shelby looking at her, with gentle concerned eyes. "Hey there, I hated to wake you, but, here she comes."

She nodded her head, opening and shutting her eyes, trying to bring her present into focus. She sat up, brushing the dream from her mind, and ran her hands through her hair, smoothing her face and her features as best she could. She needed to pay attention. The auburn haired doctor was had entered the room, and headed her way. She walked with purpose and confidence, and somehow that made Quinn feel a little better. A little more confident herself. Her voice was warm and strong, even though her features showed she was tired. It was – she looked at the clock – well, it was almost 4 a.m. No wonder she was tired. They all were.

"Hello Quinn, I'm sorry I had to disturb your rest, but I wanted to give you an update. I have mostly good news"

"Dr. Westner. Hello. Good evening. I mean good morning."

Quinn stood up, along with Shelby, both of them visibly anxious. The doctor smiled kindly at them.

"It is indeed morning Quinn. I know you're tired, and so is our girl in there. Which is why she is resting. With a little help. So here is the scoop. Stop me if you have questions about something, or don't understand?"

The doctor smiled and tilted her head, making eye contact, looking for cognition. Quinn nodded.

"Okay. We are going to keep an eye on her. I know that sounds vague to you. So let me explain. We have her blood pressure under control for the moment. We're monitoring the babies as well obviously. There is some distress there, but we don't feel that it is at level we can't just monitor. For now. We would like to get them to 260 days if possible. At this point, where we are, around 253 days, well, delivery would leave open the possibility, if not probability, of respiratory complications due to underdevelopment of the lungs and possibly other organs. Also, the stress of the mother can affect the babies as well also. We really need to avoid that. Let me say that again. We need to avoid stress."

Quinn had honed in the doctor face, absorbing each detail, as she absorbed her words. She noted with some relief that the doctor really didn't seem to be hiding anything, or at least not mass amounts of worry. Of course Rachel was always the one who was best at ferreting out information. And of course, Rachel wasn't here. Her stomach clenched at that thought. Ah, the irony. She mentally kicked herself for letting her thoughts wander, and turned back to the doctor who had paused to let them process what had been said so far. After the pause, Quinn nodded for her to continue. She felt Shelby's strong arm around her.

"Which brings us to Rachel, and how to take into account her pre-eclampsia and the inherent complications of multiple births. This is all ground we've covered before. Your doctor in Boston, I'm sure covered this with you also. The prior miscarriage makes this pregnancy much more complicated. I know you know this. But you should know that while I am concerned, I do believe we are making progress. However…there is no question but that she will now need to be here until delivery."

Quinn felt the grip become tighter from Shelby's arm around her, and heard the woman clear her throat. Quinn looked over in the direction Shelby was looking behind the doctor, and saw Puck entering the waiting room. He looked haggard. He lifted his chin in acknowledgment, and came to join them. Circling around behind to Quinn's other side. He squeezed her shoulder tightly, as she leaned and touched her temple to his hand, letting him know she was glad of his presence. Puck cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, I got here as quick as I could, sorry it took too long."

The doctor smiled at him warmly, and even let a small chuckle escape. The fact that she did so made all of their hearts jump a little with relief. If the doctor could be that at ease, maybe it wasn't so bad.

"Mr. Puckerman, it's an inconvenient hour for anybody. And I'm sure everyone is glad you are here now. I'll let them catch you up on what I've told them already, after I finish here. I was just about to tell them that the game plan, at this point, is to give the twins every chance to stay in the womb for as long as possible. However, I think we need to be prepared for immediate delivery by Caesarian when the time comes - or the need arises. And I know Rachel will be disappointed, but I'm afraid any chance for a safe traditional delivery is completely off the table now. You all might want to discuss how or who should be here to tell her this. Keeping Rachel calm is paramount at this stage. I can be there as well of course if you'd like. Just let me know. Do you all have any immediate questions?

"Can we see her?" Three pleas came out of three mouths at once.

The doctor let a small grin show. "You all may see her in a few hours. Right now, she is sleeping, and very lightly sedated. She needs to get as much rest as possible. I'll have an attending find you when it is okay for her to have a visitor. One at a time. Briefly. No bull rushing her right now, okay guys?"

She looked at them all in the eyes by turn to emphasize her point.

"And again, I do I mean briefly. And I don't have to tell you to keep it the stress level low. If you don't think you're going to helpful in that department, then please do Rachel and the babies a favor and refrain from visiting her until you can meet that requirement. I'm going to trust you all to know if you're doing right there, got it?

They all nodded in unison. All three pairs of eyes were bright with worry and exhaustion.

Quinn inhaled deeply, and rubbed her eyes.

"Thank you so much Dr. Westner. We will take care of her. And by take care of her I mean we will not cause her any stress. Will we guys?" She looked at them all meaningfully.

Dr. Westner nodded approvingly. "That's what I needed to hear. You're welcome. I'm sorry it's not 100 percent great news at this very moment. But, I do think it overall it is very good news, so try to keep that in mind, and keep perspective. At this point, mother and babies are stabilizing. I need to write this up, and make sure the attending Dr. Cohen is up to speed. I'll talk to you later guys. Try to get some rest."

Quinn waved weakly and smiled just as weakly as the doctor backed away, turned on her heel efficiently and left. Then she sagged against Puck, who held her with one arm and kissed her on top of her head, and pulled her into a gentle bear hug. Shelby squeezed her hand.

"She's gonna be okay Fabray."

Quinn's response was muffled by his chest, and the coat he wore. He smelled like the outdoors and the cold night air still.

"You don't know that."

"Well, no, but that all sounds…good, right?"

Shelby squeezed her hand. "He's right Quinn, this is pretty good news. She said stabilizing, that is a good thing."

She extricated herself from Puck, sighing. "I know. I know. You're right. I just wish I could see her."

Puck put his hands on her shoulders and massaged them gently. "I know you do. So do I. But right now, let's do what we can. And, Milf, you gotta to eat."

Two hands from two different owners smacked him on the head at the mention of his old nickname for Quinn. He grinned and shrugged. "Alright, alright…ixnay on the ilfMay talk. What can I say? Since a certain little someone who is too young to hear is not here right now, I gotta take my chances when I get them, right? And hey now, don't bite the hand that feeds you, right? I brought some leftovers from the pub. It's not your favorite, but I'm sorry, fish and chips do not travel well. So, it's just some shepherd's pie and some brown bread. But it'll heat up well, and there is plenty. And it's gotta be better than crap they probably serve here, right?"

Quinn sighed and rolled her eyes. But since her stomach had just audibly growled at the thought of food, she would cut the guy some slack. She'd been so numb; she'd forgotten that she could feel hungry.

"Speaking of that, where is her highness Shelby?"

"Hiram has her, took her home to clean up a bit and get some snacks."

Puck nodded and was about to reply, when the waiting room doors burst open again, and Leroy made a bee line for them. His face looked a little tight, but he was smiling.

"I got the page." He nodded at Puck.

"Hi Noah, glad you made it here safely. How are you doing? Shelby, Hiram's on his way in a little while with Beth. So. Can you give me some basics? It sounds promising. I'll get more details from Dr. Westner later, but I didn't want to hold her up right now."

"Hey Mr. B. Thanks. I'm hanging in. Yeah guys, I didn't get to hear the first part. Catch us up?"

Quinn held up the insulated cooler from Puck. "First things first, where can I heat this up? Apparently, I'm starving."

Shelby stepped in and took the food over to the alcove, the one that all hospitals seemed to have in every wing; where the vending machines and the microwaves that visitors and the residents and interns alike were housed. Quinn took care of the business of filling them in.

Shelby watched them surreptitiously, watched as she smiled bravely for them and took a deep breath. The older woman was so pleased to see her smiling, and not just in her sleep.

They were such an odd collection of souls. She was so very grateful they were all in her life. The thought of anything happening to her daughter, or her grandchildren filled her with a cold dread. But she kept it at bay. Watching Puck and Hiram from afar, so animated, and supportive eased the feeling. She permitted herself a small smile too as she pondered that pair. It hadn't always been the case. But Puck had a way of worming his way into your life. This whole clan did. She laughed at herself. In her mind's eye she heard them saying "'Night Rachel, night Quinn, 'night..whoever." Like living on damn Walton's Mountain she thought. At least during the summers when they all seemed to find the time for two weeks vacation at the Lake. She shook her head and smiled again.


End file.
